Chapter 2172 — Refining Shiva's Essence

"For Shura to have given you his Eternal Constitution... It's unimaginable for an Eternal to do such a thing," Shiva murmured, disbelief still lacing her voice. "Your connection with him must be unfathomable..." She continued, "But merely possessing a true Eternal Constitution wouldn't let you refine nature's essence—not with a human soul. Since you mentioned reincarnation, your soul must have already surpassed human limits. In other words, you are no longer truly human, but something between that of a human and an Eternal." More chapters in t.me/+9n1w1vacSaZhYzAy

"So I'm a half-god?" Yuan remarked with a smile.

"Don't flatter yourself. You may have surpassed human limits, but you are nowhere near a god-not even one percent," Shiva sneered.

"Maybe not right now, but eventually."

Shiva didn't respond. She couldn't. As much as she wanted to dismiss his seemingly foolish words, she knew that if Yuan continued to grow and refine his Eternal Constitution, he would one day reach true godhood.

"I will concede this-you are remarkable for a human," Shiva said, her tone grudging. She shook her head lightly before continuing, "But even with your ability to refine nature's essence, this place holds far too little of it to truly advance your Eternal Essence. If you want to see any drastic improvements to your Eternal Essence, you need to refine this girl's essence through dual cultivation."

Yuan's gaze shifted to the liquid and asked, "What about this liquid? I can sense an immense amount of essence coming from it."

Shiva sneered, "Are you out of your mind? That liquid was created from my essence. It's not something your body or mind can handle. Stop being stubborn and cultivate with this girl already. Or is there another reason you keep refusing? Do you like men?"

Yuan frowned and said, "Keep your delusions to yourself. I already told you that I have partners. I won't betray them by cultivating with a stranger."

"Then you can just make this girl your partner," Shiva said.

"That's not how it works."

"I fail to understand," Shiva said with a weary sigh. "You say you already have multiple partners, so clearly the notion of having more than one does not trouble you. Why, then, is this girl any different? Why will you not accept her? Are you worried about her talents? I can guarantee she's exceptionally talented-and this is coming from a god. Even her body and appearance are far beyond that of ordinary humans."

Yuan sighed. "I don't expect a god born of the void to understand human emotions or morals. You'll just have to accept it."

"Is that so? Then I will waste no more words on you," Shiva said, her voice edged with disdain. "If you wish to refine the essence, go ahead. But try not to die, or all I've done for you will be for nothing." She closed her eyes, and when they opened once more, the profound light within them had vanished.

Mu Xuelian's gaze returned, clear and human, as she regained control of her body.

Shortly after regaining control, Mu Xuelian glared at Yuan and asked, "Do you dislike me? Have I done anything that has offended you?"

"Of course not," he calmly replied. "I understand why Shiva doesn't understand, but aren't you human? Surely, you understand why I refuse to cultivate with you."

Mu Xuelian narrowed her eyes slightly and responded, "While it may have been Lord Shiva's will, I still have my own feelings, and I did not reject the idea of cultivating with you. You're clearly an extraordinary individual. If I had encountered you during my travel to the outside world to seek a partner, you would've definitely been my first choice. In fact, now that I am aware of your existence, I probably won't settle for anyone else."

Mu Xuelian rose from the ice bed, her figure gliding with grace as she suddenly advanced toward him.

"What are you doing?" Yuan asked, his voice steady as she stepped close, leaving only inches between them.

Mu Xuelian lowered her head for a moment, her eyes flicking downward to his naked sword before locking with his. "I want your child. These are my words, spoken from my own will," she said the next moment, her voice firm and full of determination.

A fragment of Tian Yingzhe's memories suddenly surfaced in Yuan's mind. In it, a woman resembling Mu Xuelian stood before him, naked as she was now, speaking nearly the same words.

"Sorry," Yuan said, his tone calm but firm. "I won't impregnate someone simply because they ask, especially if that person is someone I barely know." The words left his lips unconsciously, the same words Tian Yingzhe had once spoken to Mu Hanyan.

"In that case, I'll ask you again once we get to know each other better," Mu Xuelian said softly, unaware that she was repeating the exact same words her grandmother, Mu Hanyan, said in response to Tian Yingzhe's rejection.

Before Yuan could even respond, Mu Xuelian turned around and returned to the ice bed to cultivate in silence.

"..." Yuan rubbed his eyes and sighed before clearing his mind to focus on the liquid in the pond. 'Since it's liquid, I can't reduce it to dust like the pebble... should I try to vaporize it instead?'

Acting on the thought, Yuan called forth his True Primordial Fire, its searing flames engulfing the pond's surface. But to his astonishment, the liquid remained utterly unchanged, and not even a single bubble rose. The liquid didn't boil, much less vaporize. 'If even True Primordial Fire cannot vaporize it, then I'll have to find a different method...'

After a moment's contemplation, Yuan sank into the pond, letting the liquid envelop him fully. Then, with the same method he used in body tempering, he began trying to absorb the energy in the liquid before refining it.

'It's working!' Yuan felt a surge of elation at the results. Yet the joy was fleeting, for in the next instant, his body was overwhelmed, assaulted by waves of pain so intense they defied imagination. But despite the pain, he endured it.

Sometime later...

(More chapters in Buyers club for TMT)